By Myself, But Never Alone
by get-a-grip38
Summary: Ponyboy is going off to college, and Soda is starting to live his own life. So what is Darry going to do? Not Slash!
1. Prologue Part I

_By Myself, But Never Alone_

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I don't own the Outsiders

Summary: Ponyboy is going off to college, and Sodapop and Darry are moving on with their lives. SodaOC, DarryOC. I'm not exactly sure where this story is going yet, but I can tell you that it is focusing on Darry. I know that this chapter is a little slow; sorry 'bout that. It should pick up as we move along. Also, this is my first Outsiders story, so go easy on me :)

Reviews are always welcome. I don't mind criticism, but naturally I find constructive criticism to be more helpful than flames.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Hey Darry!" Two-Bit yelled.

Darry winced. Two-Bit was standing roughly two feet away from him, a blonde girl in each arm. "What do you want, Two-Bit?"

"Shannon an' Heather an' I are gonna go inspect one of Buck's bedrooms. If I'm not out in five minutes, don't come in after me." Two-Bit answered loudly, tilting his head towards both of the girls in turn before guffawing at his own joke. Darry just shook his head as Two-Bit stumbled towards the back of the house in his drunken stupor. Now almost 22, Two-Bit hadn't changed a bit since high school.

Darry leaned back against the wall, observing. There was no denying it: he was downright miserable here. Somehow, in a moment of great weakness, Darry had allowed himself to be convinced to come to one of Buck's parties. He hadn't been to a "real party", as Two-Bit put it, in years, and besides, they were celebrating Ponyboy going off to college. After his parents died, Darry had lamented the fact that he could no longer go out and party, like most people his age. Now, Darry realized that he hadn't been missing much by skipping the beer-fests: the music was too loud, the number of drunken people too great, the scent of vomit too strong. He wished he was at home, maybe sipping a beer, watching TV. Here, he felt like an intruder. He didn't fit in here. Darry wasn't like Two-Bit, who could drink himself into a happier state with a blonde or two, or like Steve and Soda, who each had their girls to keep them company. No, he was alone. Except for the gang, nobody here even seemed to know him; and of course, they all seemed to know each other. They were a different generation than him, he reasoned; they still clinging to their teenage years, he a full-fledged adult. A few of them sent less-than-friendly glances in his direction; they probably thought he was an undercover cop, sent to bust up the party. To sum it up, he could not wait for the ordeal to end.

Darry glanced around the room, searching for the people he knew to distract himself from his unhappiness. Over on one of the couches lie Soda, eyes nearly closed, the very definition of relaxed as his girlfriend, Diana, slowly massaged his shoulders and neck, seemingly oblivious to the blaring music and rowdy people. Dancing near the keg were Steve and Evie. Based on how closely they were dancing, he estimated that it would only be a few minutes before they left the party in favor of the privacy of Steve's car. The door Two-Bit had entered was now closed and presumably locked. Ponyboy was perched on a chair, in the middle of a heated debate with a few of his friends. Darry had passed them earlier, curious to know what they were talking about; he caught the words "Shakespeare" and "iambic pentameter". Darry couldn't help but smile upon hearing this; while discussing the Bard at a party clearly put Ponyboy on the nerdier end of the spectrum, Darry was glad that his little brother was not taking after Two-Bit.

"Hey Darry!" A voice asked right next to him. "How's it going?"

Darry turned and saw that Soda had left the couch to come stand next to him. "Not bad." He replied, turning to face the partiers again.

"You know, this is a lovely corner you're camped out in here, but if you like, I can introduce to someone." Soda offered, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his jeans.

"No thanks." The older brother said. "Where's Diana?"

Soda tilted his head. "Restroom. We're leaving in a few minutes. She's gotta be at the salon early tomorrow." He explained. Diana worked as a hairdresser and beautician at a salon.

"Things are going pretty good for you two, huh?"

Soda nodded slowly. "Yeah, yeah we're pretty serious."

Darry pulled him into a one-armed hug. "Look at us. Ponyboy going off to college, you and Diana…"

"And you, landing that promotion at work. You're practically management now."

"Associate assistant supervisor is hardly management. I still mostly lift things." Darry pointed out.

Soda shook his head, grinning at Darry's modesty. "Look at us."

"You ready, Sodapop?"

Darry and Soda turned to see a petite girl with dark, curly hair standing nearby. "Sure thing, Diana." Soda replied, extending his arm. Diana obediently latched on. "See ya later, Darry." Soda called over his shoulder, as he steered Diana towards the door. Darry lifted a hand and waved good-bye.

Suddenly, Darry decided that he had had enough of the party. He was tired, he had a headache, and he was ready to go home. Darry wove through the people to get to where Ponyboy's discussion appeared to be wrapping up. Darry tapped his youngest brother's shoulder.

Ponyboy twisted his neck. "Oh, hey Darry."

"Hey. We need to get going. Early morning tomorrow." Darry said. Tomorrow, they would be transporting Ponyboy and his belongings to his dorm at the University of Oklahoma.

"Yeah, I know." Ponyboy took one final sip of his beverage, before standing. He bid farewell to his friends, and then followed Darry out to his pick-up truck, prattling on and on about what exactly he would need to pack. Darry was a little too tired to care at this point.

"Hey, Darry?" Ponyboy asked, taking a momentary break from his one-sided conversation about college as they drove away from Buck's. It was now well after midnight, and the streets were mostly deserted.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming to the party."

"You're welcome, kid."

* * *

Sooooo? What'd you think? Please review.


	2. Prologue Part II

This story is _finally _back, from a very long hiatus. Thank you to all the people who reviewed after the first chapter was posted, nearly a year ago now :) This is essentially a continuation of the prologue. Hopefully things should start to pick up after this.

_The Prologue, Part II_

Enjoy, and please review!

* * *

"Is that the last of it?" Darry asked, as he set a box of Ponyboy's favorite books down on the floor of Ponyboy's new dorm room.

"Nah, one more," Soda answered immediately in a strained voice, coming through the door frame with a second box. "Jesus kid, why do you need so many books? Didn't you already read all these?"

Ponyboy snatched the box out of Soda's shaking arms, as though his older brother couldn't be trusted with such valuable objects. "I'm sure it's a strange concept for you, since you rarely read books even once, but they _can_ be read again," he pointed out wryly. Quickly, the weight of the books became too much for him as well, so Ponyboy placed them carefully on top of Darry's box of books.

"If we hadn't paid so much to get you here, I'd beat some sense in to you." Soda retorted, lunging forwards and playfully giving Ponyboy's shoulder the ol' one-two punch.

"You need help organizing those books?" Darry asked, leaning casually against the door frame.

Ponyboy shook his head. "I'll find space for them after you two go," he replied. "Uh, Soda? What are you staring at?" He asked, seeing Sodapop eyeing the other side of the room.

"You have a roommate!" The middle Curtis explained, seeing the other twin bed for the first time. "You met him yet?"

Ponyboy shrugged. "Saw him once or twice as I was bringing stuff in. Said his name's Paul. I think he's down the hall now, with some friends from his high school."

"Maybe we'll get a chance to meet him before we go," Darry said. Soda bobbed his head eagerly in excitement, before plopping down onto Paul's bare bed.

"Yeah," Ponyboy agreed, although he looked considerably less enthused about the idea than Soda did. "Wish I knew some people here from high school."

"I saw a couple Soccy types when we pulled up," Soda offered. Darry elbowed him sharply; he could imagine that Ponyboy would not appreciate that sort of comment. "What?" Soda demanded. "At least he knows what they're like already."

"I'm sure you'll meet loads of people here," Darry pointed out. "If all your stuff's here, and you're settled in, we gotta get on our way back."

The subtle manner in which Ponyboy's eyes widened did not escape Darry's intense focus. "All right," Ponyboy replied, in a slightly shaky tone. Gone was the light banter and confidence of earlier. Even though Ponyboy was doing his best to hide it, it was obvious to Darry that Ponyboy was tense with apprehension, undoubtedly about the entire upcoming college experience. The oldest Curtis imagined that he would feel much the same way if he was suddenly living in an unfamiliar place with strangers, doing completely foreign things. For a moment, however, Darry was no longer sure that this was the best thing for Ponyboy. Maybe he should stay home, attend a school right there in Tulsa, stay in the house with the same people. After all, having skipped a year in high school, Ponyboy was a full year younger than everyone else. Maybe he wasn't ready for college. Maybe the other kids wouldn't like him for some reason. Maybe his room mate would turn out to be a serial killer. Maybe Ponyboy would get depressed and get into drugs, like so many other of the people his age these days. Maybe…

No, Darry told himself firmly. He has to do this. He's meant to do this. "You'll be fine," Darry said forcefully, with perhaps more confidence than he felt. Whatever he was feeling, he had to put up a strong front for Ponyboy.

Ponyboy mustered a weak grin. "Thanks for helping me with my stuff."

"No problem," Sodapop chimed in, standing. "Anything else you need?"

"I think I'm good for now."

Darry clapped Ponyboy on the shoulder. "You can come home whenever you need to."

"But call first," Soda added smoothly. "With you gone, there's no telling when we'll have… company over, so to say. Right, Darry?"

"You come home whenever you need to," Darry repeated, rather than dignify Soda's comment with a response. "You don't even have to call first, if you don't want to."

"Thanks, Darry."

Soda pulled Ponyboy into a tight bear hug, before mussing up Ponyboy's hair. "See you next weekend?"

Ponyboy nodded. "You bet on it."

"We'll see you then, I guess," Darry said.

"Yeah, see you then!" Ponyboy called, as his older brothers stepped into the hallway.

The hallway was packed with people bringing their belongings in and running around trying to locate others. Darry and Soda picked their way through the small crowd, before making it out of the building. Outside, the sun was still high in the sky and it was still hot. The brothers made their way slowly across the campus to where they had parked the car.

For a moment, they stood silently as Darry fished for his keys in his pocket. They climbed inside the car and as Darry twisted the key in the ignition, Soda rolled down his window, nonchalantly ignoring a small cluster of girls who were giggling and staring in his direction. Darry smirked faintly; once Soda would have relished the attention, and Darry could only assume that his younger brother was so enamored with Diana that he no longer cared. Or at least, not as much as he once did.

Darry steered carefully around the people and cars that littered the streets of the area surrounding the college. After a time, they were off the campus and back on the highway head for Tulsa. Soda messed with the radio for a few minutes, trying to find a decent station, before giving up and opting for conversation. "You ever seen Ponyboy so tense?" Soda hollered over the wind.

"Not in a long time."

"He'll get used to it, probably."

"He'll be fine," Darry agreed.

Soda was quiet, watching the fields roll by. After a moment, he put his window up so they could continue talking without yelling. "I gotta talk to you 'bout something," Soda began, turning to look at his older brother. "It's about me and Diana." He paused. "We've been talking about it for a while now. With Ponyboy heading off to school and you getting that promotion, this seems like the right time."

"Seems like the right time for what?" Darry asked, rolling up his own window to hear better. The temperature in the vehicle seemed to rise instantaneously.

"Remember when the city had that firework show a couple weeks ago?" Soda paused, allowing Darry to nod. He remembered quite clearly- the Curtis' along with Steve and Two-Bit had gathered at Diana's parents' house for a barbeque before heading downtown to see the fireworks- although he had no idea how it connected to Soda's secret. "Diana thought we should keep it to ourselves for a bit, and then a couple weeks went by and I thought we should wait until Ponyboy was settled at school and things quieted down at your work. Before we knew it, it had been almost two months. We meant to tell you sooner, Darry, but there wasn't a good moment for it."

"What's going on?" Darry demanded. The fact that Soda seemed anxious made him anxious.

Soda let out a deep breath. "I asked her if she would be my wife, and she said yes."

Darry's eyebrows shot straight up. "She agreed to marry you?"

"You don't have to sound so shocked," Soda exclaimed, in mock hurt. "I'll have you know we've been together for two years this November."

"I'm not shocked," he insisted. "Just a little surprised."

"We really wanted to let you know sooner, I swear. What do you think?"

The highway was deserted except for them, so Darry took his eyes off the road briefly to glance at Soda. On the one hand, Soda looked apprehensive, no doubt concerned about what Darry thought about his engagement. This expression made Darry feel warm and fuzzy; at twenty-two, Soda still valued his opinions. At the same time though, his younger brother had a resolved cast to his features, like he was going to do what he wanted, regardless of what Darry thought. Speaking of what Darry thought, he couldn't help but wonder if Soda was truly ready for marriage. After all, Soda was just twenty-two, and had only had a few serious relationships. But what did Darry know? Chasing after two teenagers didn't leave a lot of time for a personal life. For a while after Sandy left, Soda didn't date anyone. He drifted as a loner for a few months, before meeting a girl in a bar. For a while, he bounced about in a series of short relationships. When no one broke his heart like Sandy did, each subsequent relationship got longer, one even lasting for five months. And then he met Diana, and never looked back.

"Anyone there?" Soda sang, tapping Darry's shoulder. "What do you think?"

"It's a big commitment. If you can handle it, I think it's great," Darry said truthfully

Soda broke into a broad grin. "Diana was worried you would think it was a bad idea."

Darry shrugged. "Diana's a good person. I hope you two are happy together."

Soda unrolled his window and proceeded to loudly discuss the few details of the wedding Diana had hammered out already. Then he moved on to the plans he had, including finding a decent-paying job ("gotta have a real job now that I'll be a married man") and looking into buying a house ("to get out of your hair so you can have a life, if you want one"). Darry listened with half an ear, somewhat amused at how Soda had become such a dreamer.

"Darry?" Something in Soda's voice suggested this was not the first time he had tried to get Darry's attention.

"Yeah?"

"You ever think about having kids?" Soda was peering at him with an intensity Darry found strange and slightly disturbing. Darry could only imagine that Soda's thinking aloud had progressed past finances to family.

Darry ruffled Soda's hair. "The way I see it, I've already raised two," he replied dryly. "It's a lot more work than it looks like."

Soda just laughed.

* * *

When they arrived back in Tulsa, there was a car parked in their driveway. "Diana's," Soda explained. Darry nodded; he meant what he said about Diana being a good person. Darry could think of very few people who went as far out of their way as she did to be kind to others. She was understanding and considerate, and perhaps a bit naïve. Diana somehow achieved a balance between integrating herself into their lives, while at the same time acknowledging and respecting the things that were private to them. And she knew how to cook.

The scent of a pork roast wafted through the air as Soda and Darry walked into the house. Soda made a beeline for the kitchen, while Darry headed to his bedroom to give them a moment to themselves. His shirt felt grimy from sweat and dust, so he pulled a new one out of a drawer and changed. He ran his fingers through his hair and adjusted a stray piece. Darry even rearranged the few objects on his nightstand before deciding that Soda and his fiancé had had enough time to get their affection out of their systems.

This proved false, however. Soda was standing very near to Diana, whose back was against the counter. He was smiling slightly and brushing her hair away from her face, and she was swatting his hand away even as his other came to rest on her back. Darry stepped back around the corner so he couldn't see. He was hungry and wanted to eat ,but didn't want to get in their way so he decided to wait until they were ready for him.

"Stop it," Diana ordered, trying to sound irritated. "Did you tell him or not?"

"I told him. Ow! What was that for?"

"That cake's for _dessert_, not now." She paused. "How did he take it?"

"He took it fine," Soda insisted. "No yelling or hitting or nothing."

Diana sighed. "Just because he didn't yell doesn't mean he was fine with it."

"Trust me, he's fine with it," Soda assured her. "He said he thinks it's great. How much longer til we eat?"

"As soon as Darry reappears, we can start."

This seemed as good a time as any to "reappear", so Darry stepped around the corner again. "We just about ready?" He asked, taking a stack of plates and setting them on the table, one at each place.

Diana handed Soda a bowl of mashed potatoes. "Careful, the bottom's hot," she cautioned. "And yes, we were just waiting for you."

As they sat down to dinner, Diana wanted to know all about how it went with Ponyboy at the school. Darry was content to sit back and let Soda do the talking. It was a beautiful evening, if a little bit too warm, and the food was good. In fact, at this moment, he was content with life in general. He was eating food that he didn't cook, his goal of getting Ponyboy to college was accomplished, and Soda had found someone who made him happy again.

Yes, life was good.

* * *

Thank you very much for reading! I'm leaving for vacation in a couple days. I'll try to get the next chapter up before then.


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